What made you want to become an IBCLC?

By securing my IBCLC, I hope to expand on the lactation services currently offered to my clients. With my IBCLC, advanced issues would no longer need to be referred to another provider, who are usually over booked and can be expensive.

How do you hope to make a difference as an IBCLC?

There are few IBCLCs of color in my area. By getting the credential I can be a resource to an already underserved community. I love discussing lactation and helping families navigate their lactation relationships. I also am very interested in helping non-gestational parents to lactate to feed their babies as well.

 
Why is winning Pacify's Diversity in Lactation Scholarship is meaningful to you?

It is an honor to be recognized for my work in the lactation field and for others to know that this work is important. The theme of World Lactation Week this year was Shared Responsibility. It is definitely all of our responsibility to support new parents in making sure all babies thrive. Black families have higher infant mortality rates, higher maternal mortality rates and are more likely to discontinue feeding human milk before 6 months. Providing support for these families is imperative to improving these numbers. Lactation professionals from the community are so important to helping families meet their goals.